It’s time to break the bad news to Best Coast.
Ok, here goes.
Best Coast, there is a band in Chicago that does your sound better than you.
Don’t get me wrong, you guys are great. You’ve got an excellent vocalist, great songs, the whole package. The fact is, Chicago duo Magic City is better. A lot better. The vocals are similar, but cleaner and a bit sweeter. The big difference is in the music. Magic City takes Best Coast’s pop sound and simmers it down to a sweet syrup that is slower, dreamier, spacier and much more satisfying.
Lauren Whitacre’s voice is nothing short of spectacular and bandmate Colin Croom (full disclosure: Mr. Croom and I share a last name but I do not know that we’re related, although anything is possible) is a more than capable vocalist himself. In addition, the guitar solos are just perfect. Each solo has a personality large enough to fill your living room; they’re nothing fancy, but they command your attention in their subtlety. Go listen to “Hard to Imagine”; the solo is an absolute monster. Magic City is releasing their debut album for free download in October, so make sure to go get that. In the meantime, Bandcamp and SoundCloud have some great tracks posted.
Perfect analysis and thanks for the share.Â